Color filters for liquid crystal displays are formed from small pixels in the three primary colors: red, green, and blue. These pixels can be formed by depositing colored materials on a transparent substrate within the borders of a black grid, which provides contrast and definition for the pixels. These colored materials are prepared by dispersing dyes and/or pigments into an organic-based binder. The dye or pigment dispersion (i.e., the coloring agent) is typically deposited and patterned on the substrate by photolithographic, printing, or electrodeposition methods. The black grid usually contains a chrome metal, the back surface of which is either oxidized or coated with CrO light absorbing film, or a mixture of organic pigments to form a black organic border. The border may be deposited on the substrate by means such as electrodeposition, photolithography, and printing, including ink-jet printing.
In Japanese Public Patent Disclosure Bulletin No. 5-224012, incorporated herein by reference, Matsumura discloses a method for manufacturing color filters for high-quality liquid crystal displays that can reliably prevent ink blotting and color mixing, especially in cases where the colored parts are formed by printing or ink-jet methods. Specifically, Matsumura discloses a method of manufacturing color filters for liquid crystal displays by the steps of spreading a photosensitive resin layer on a transparent substrate; exposing and photolithographically developing the resin layer to form a desired pattern; laminating an ink-repelling silicon-based rubber layer, generally a crosslinked organic polysiloxane, on top of the patterned resin layer; and removing the exposed photosensitive resin layer along with the rubber layer on top of it, thereby forming wells for the colored materials.
In Japanese Public Patent Disclosure Bulletin No. 59-75205, a technology is disclosed which uses the ink jet method to distribute "coloring matters" of three colors on the substrate. The publication also discloses that a dispersion-preventing pattern (i.e., a pattern that prevents ink-blotting and color mixing) made from a substance with poor wettability is effective, but no specific technology is disclosed.
The siloxane-containing materials are known to be wettable or swellable by many organic solvents. It would be an advance in the art to provide a substrate-adhering, dispersion-preventing pattern for a liquid crystal display device that is non-wettable by either aqueous or organic solvents.